US general says Iraq constitution would be 'one more nail in the coffin' for insurgency

[JURIST] Speaking in Washington Wednesday, senior US Marine Lieutenant General John Sattler followed up urgings from US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld [JURIST report] for timely completion of the draft of the new Iraqi constitution [JURIST news archive] by saying it would be "one more nail in the coffin" of insurgents. The looming August 15 deadline has had anxious officials in both the US and Iraq pushing the Iraqi drafting committee to finish its work. Sattler said failing to keep to the schedule could open a window of opportunity for insurgents. "You need to keep it on schedule. Any time you give anyone more time to accommodate the mission at hand, you kind of open it up to slide it again and again," he said. AFP has more.

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